Beautiful Beasties Pet Photography Book

Beautiful Beasties, A Creative Guide to Modern Pet Photography by Jaime Pflughoeft.

I love to take pictures of all things. My favorite subjects are my kids. And they love to get their photos taken!!

My next favorite subject are my two cats, Spice and Zena. We adopted them a little over a year ago.

When I was asked to check out the book, Beautiful Beasties, I was interested in learning more about photography. I’ve been wanting to take a class for some time now. There are 21 chapters starting with the history of pet photography. The book goes over the equipment needed, pre-sessions, checklists and lighting. The author goes into great detail, almost too much for a novice like me. This book is intended for passionate hobbyists and professional pet photographers.

Chapter one is about the history of pet photography. Did you know that oldest pet photo is a picture of a white poodle, titled Poodle with Bow on Table. Taken in the 1850’s. Explained as well, is why people are taking more pictures of their pets. The main reason is simply – because people love their pets! Another reason is couple are waiting longer to have children and pets become surrogate children.

In chapter 2, Equipment, Jamie Pflughoeft explains that you don’t have to have the best camera to take great pictures. Jamie recommends that you read your camera manual not once but twice. You need to learn about your camera to be able to use it correctly.

While reading through the rest of the book I found out that cats are more challenging than dogs to photograph. One tip that stood out was if you are wanting to take pictures of a specific animal, check out places those animals would be first. Like going to dog park or a cat sanctuary. You could even volunteer a local shelter to see how the animal behave.

I felt a little overwhelmed while reading this book, kinda like I did when I read my camera manual. I guess I need to read it again!

There are some wonderful pictures and lots of advice. If you fit the profile, I would recommend this book.

Fergie, pictured in the book numerous time is adorable!!

I received a copy of this book to review. Opinions are my own.

Anne

I'm a mother of 2 who likes to get involved in too much! Besides writing here I started a non-profit, I'm on the PTO board, very active in my community and volunteer in the school. I enjoy music, reading, cooking, traveling and spending time with my family. We just adopted our 3rd cat and love them all!